April 16, 9:00AM–5:00PM

Alcove Gallery at Magill

Description

The Fingerprints of Giants: Selections from the Haverford College Fine Art Photography Collection

February 25 to April 26, 2013

Curated by Vita Litvak, Visiting Assistant Professor of Fine Arts

The Haverford College Fine Art Photography Collection, which has recently grown to over 5,000 prints, is encyclopedic in its scope and a highly valuable resource to both students of photography and the community at large. On the shelves of the Special Collections are gathered the likes of Eugene Atget, Edward Sheriff Curtis, Alfred Stieglitz, Walker Evans, Dorothea Lange, Edward Weston, Roy De Carava, William Klein, and Diane Arbus, to name just a few. These men and women are the giants who shaped and defined the photographic medium over the past 175 years. The importance of viewing their original photographic prints cannot be underestimated. Only in the presence of these works can we begin to understand the subtleties of these photographers’ decision-making processes and the deep richness and visual delights of the photographic medium.

The exhibition on view in the Alcove Gallery highlights the works of the masters of photography and examines several distinct ways of seeing that emerged in 20th century photography. The exhibit also functions as a research aide for students in the Foundation Photography Classes at Haverford College.

The Fine Art Photography Collection has been supported through generous gifts from friends of Haverford College and the thoughtful curatorial work of William Earl Williams, the Audrey A. and John L. Dusseau Professor of Humanities, Professor of Fine Arts and Curator of Photography.